No Regrets
by PreciousKat
Summary: A young woman with a troubled past becomes a pet sitter for a certain WWE superstar. Follow her journey as she finds herself once again, along the way learning how to trust, love & live life to the fullest, with no regrets. OC/John Cena Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: WWE owns John Cena, as well as any other superstar that may appear later on in this story. I solely own my OC Kaitlyn, as well as other minor OC's.**

**This story starts out back in November 2008, so I'll do my best to keep my story based on what happens from that time on. :)**

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><p><em>:flashback:<em>

"_So, this is it then?" I asked as Amanda was heading to the door to the apartment we'd been sharing for the past 8 months. She'd spent a majority of the day ignoring me and packing up her stuff. She even had movers helping her get her furniture out of our apartment. What made this whole situation worse? I had absolutely no idea she was moving out on me until the week before. _

"_Yep. This is it." She replied. "It was fun while it lasted, but the people we are now are not the same people we were when we moved here." I couldn't help but muffle the sarcastic laugh I felt when I heard her say this. I hadn't changed as much as she had, and the person she had become was not someone who I wanted to be associated with. She took one last look around and sighed. "Goodbye, Kait." She said before closing the door behind her. _

_All I could do was walk slowly around the apartment. Her old bedroom, her bathroom and the living room were completely empty. Our dining room was empty as well, except for the small dining set I had bought and my mom had helped me put together. I wandered into my room, crawled onto my bed and just started crying. I brought my knees up to my chest, resting my forehead on them. A few minutes later, I felt a pair of arms embrace me and I looked up to see my mom. Through the tears, I managed to smile slightly. Here I was, 21 years old, living on my own for the first time, which happened to be 1600 miles away from the rest of my family. My mom had flown to Tampa a few days after I found out about Amanda. She surprised me with the trip, as she didn't tell me until the night before her flight. At the moment, she was comforting me, just letting me cry on her shoulder. _

_I was able to pay the rent for that month, so I could focus on trying to find someone new who would take over the last few months of the lease, as well as decide if I would move back home or stay here. My mom left a few days later and I was all alone. Each day was the same for me. If I worked, I'd go to work. I wouldn't go out much. In fact, the only time I left my apartment was the one time a week I would go to a friend's house to watch Monday Night RAW. It was the one thing I couldn't miss each week, because I was a huge wrestling fan. Wrestling had become my outlet. All my friends I'd met through wrestling, so it was a huge part of my life, especially since I didn't have any source to the outside world at home. I had no cable and no Internet. All I had was my TV and a DVD player, so I'm sure I watched every movie I owned two or three times. _

_As the end of the month was approaching, I still hadn't found someone to fully commit to moving in to my apartment and assuming half the responsibility of the rent and bills. One day, while I was at work on my break, one of the store's regular customers approached me. He was a very nice old man in his late 60s. One of the reasons he was in the store so much was because I had helped in his granddaughter while she was training and her grandfather and I had become friends. He sat down across from me and said "So I've been thinking about your situation, Kaitlyn. You know it's just me at home, except for the times I have my kids and grandkids over. I have a guest house by my pool. It came with the house when I bought it and no one really uses it. I'd like to extend to you this offer: You can rent the guest house from me. It's got a kitchen, small living room, a good size bedroom and bathroom and a side room with a washer and dryer off of the bathroom. I'll take $400 a month in rent and this will include utilities. How does that sound?"_

_I looked at him, tears forming in my eyes. I was touched by his kindness and his desire to help out a friend of someone he loved. "Sounds good to me, Mr. Carpenter, thank you." He smiles and says "Please, call me Frank." He paused for a moment. "Well I guess I should let you get back to work. Here's my number, give me a call once you figure out when you'll start moving your stuff in. If you need any help, let me know." We shook hands and he left after saying "Hi" to Jessica, his granddaughter. _

_The next week I had a few days off and used those days to start moving my stuff into Frank's guest house. We had gotten together a few days prior so I could pick up the keys and discuss if he had any rules. I was raised to respect the wishes of those I live with. Frank told me he was realistic, he understood that I was 21 years old and that I had a social life. He had no qualms about me having friends over, having a guy over or me not coming home at night. All he asked was if I was going to be out late or if I wasn't going to be home, that I let him know. Apparently, the alarm system he had would arm both the main house and the guest house at the same time. So, if I wasn't going to be home or if I was going to be late, he'd know whether or not to set the alarm. He said I was free to decorate how I wished. He wasn't against me painting or hanging pictures or posters on the walls._

_On my first day moving stuff into the guest house, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the guest house was decorated. There was already some furniture in the living room: a beige couch and loveseat were sitting along the walls with a black side table in the corner between them and two smaller side tables at the other end of the couch and loveseat. "Cool, I don't have to worry about getting living room furniture. I can put a TV there or something.", I thought. I was pleased to see that the bedroom had a good size walk in closet and that the bathroom had both a Jacuzzi tub AND a shower. _I definitely have days where I prefer baths and days where I prefer showers. _Once I had everything moved in a few days later, on my 22__nd__ birthday no less, I stopped by my apartment, left the keys on the counter, picked up the last of my mail that would be delivered there and said goodbye to one chapter. I went out to dinner with a few friends to celebrate. When I got home a few hours later, I said hello to this new chapter of my life before shutting my eyes and falling asleep._

So that was my life the last month. I'll admit, making the decision to stay in Florida over moving back home to Michigan was very difficult. My family really wanted me back. But my thought was that if I moved back home, in some way, I was letting Amanda win. After all, I'm sure she wanted me to go back home, to be away from the friend we had made mutually and everything. I decided to stay because I wasn't going to let her win, but mostly because, for the first time in my life, I was **truly**on my own. After everything I had been through I my life, I needed to do this to prove to myself that I am someone. No matter what, I was not going to regret anything in my life, from this point forward. "No more regrets, Kait," I thought to myself as I was walking around my neighborhood on a beautiful Tuesday morning. I guess I should mention that I was living in a gated community, which was a little weird for me. Most people that lived here were driving really expensive cars, while I was driving in and out of this community daily driving my 98 Ford pickup truck. It was a sturdy vehicle, I had driven it down to Florida from Michigan when I moved here and it had over 100,000 miles on it. But it got me from point A to point B safely, so it was good enough for me.

As I was heading back home, I stopped at the community bulletin board to see what was happening in my neighborhood. I noticed an ad someone posted, looking for a pet sitter. I love animals, so I pulled out my phone and dialed the number. No one answered, so I left a message inquiring about the position. "Hello, my name is Kaitlyn and I'm calling in regards to the ad for a pet sitter. I'm really interested in the position if it hasn't already been filled. You can reach me at this number. Have a great day!" I left my number, hoping I'll hear back from the person who posted the ad. I could have really used the extra money, since I didn't have a set schedule at work and my hours can fluctuate every week. As the day went by, without hearing back from the pet owner, I became slightly discouraged, but I figured if it was meant to be, it would happen. I went to work later on that day, came home and went straight to bed. I had a long day at work and just wanted to sleep.

The next morning I woke up around 10am. I checked my phone for any missed calls or messages. Seeing I have none, I stretch and got out of bed. I go to the door and open it, seeing that it's a beautiful fall day. The sun is out and I decided to go for a quick swim. I left the door open, turning back inside, where I grabbed a bathing suit and go into my bathroom to change. After I change, I threw my hair into a high pony tail, grabbed a towel and headed outside. Throwing the towel on a lounge chair, I dive into the water, exhilarated by the feel of the cool water on my skin. I swim some laps, stopping to rest for a few minutes, before swimming some more laps. I repeat this routine for about an hour, finally getting out of the pool, where I grabbed the towel. I wrapped it around my body and rang out my hair, when I heard my phone ringing. I picked up the phone and see that it's a number I don't recognize, but since it's a local area code, I answer. It may have been someone from work.

"Hello?" I said into the phone.

"Hi. I'm calling for Kaitlyn. Is she available?" I heard a male voice ask.

"This is she. May I ask who this is, please?" I replied, wondering if it was the pet owner looking for a pet sitter.

"Awesome! I'm glad I've gotten a hold of you. My name is John. I was the one the posted the ad for a pet sitter. You're the first person to respond, so I figured I would return your call and see if you'd be interested in joining me for lunch, as sort of an interview, only with food, because I'm hungry!" He asked, sounding hopeful.

"Sure, I'd love to. Did you want to meet up someplace?" I asked, laughing because the way he said he was hungry sounded really funny.

"No, we live in the same community right? I'll just pick you up. What's the house number?" he asked me, sounding happy that I agreed to join him for lunch.

I told him the house number and he said he'll be outside the house in 40 minutes. We hung up the phone and I ran into the bathroom, taking one of the fastest showers I can remember taking. I wrapped a towel around myself after stepping out of the shower stall. I combed out my hair before throwing it up into a ponytail. I threw on some black shorts and a blue t-shirt. After applying some moisturizer to my face, I throw my phone in my purse, grabbed my keys and locked the door behind me. As I walked through the covered parking area between the garage and the side of the house, I saw a strange vehicle sitting in the drive way. I took a few steps forward and stopped. "John, is that you?" I asked cautiously. "Yeah, it's me. Are you ready?" I heard in response. I started to walk toward the Jeep. The closer I got; the slower I seemed to be moving. "It can't be" I think to myself. As I approached the passenger side of the Jeep, I looked into the vehicle, gasping as I find myself looking into the cerulean blue eyes of John Cena. "Oh my goodness, is this for real?" I thought, but my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of John opening the door for me. "Get in," he said. I got into the Jeep, nearly slipping out because my stupid flip flop decided to slide. Once I'm safely inside and I closed the door, John backed out and raced off toward some restaurant, while I'm sitting in total shock attempting to deal with this crazy curve-ball that life has just thrown me.

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><p><strong>So, this is my very first fan fiction! I hope y'all like it so far, if you do, feel free to favorite the story, favorite me, etc. I ask this: if you do take the time to read, please take a few additional minutes to review. I'm open to all reviews and constructive criticism.<strong>

**Thanks everyone! Chapter 2 will be up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up. I'm getting ready to go on vacation in a few weeks, so my work schedule is getting busier. Not to mention that the start of this past week was emotionally draining. I watched MITB Sunday, and was pro Cena and pro Punk. And then the next night on RAW and everything that happened! I was not mentally prepared to write this chapter, lol.**

**I had quite a few people favorite my story! I'm honored guys, and I hope this chapter is everything you thought it would be and makes up for the long time between updates. Feel free to share this story with others if you like it! I'm always open to more readers and reviewers! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the O/C and plot! WWE owns John, Liz owns herself, Chili's owns Chili's and Myspace owns Myspace.**

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><p>John decided on Chili's for lunch, since it was the closest restaurant that wasn't fast food. Once we were seated and ordered our drinks, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down.<p>

I guess John noticed, because I heard him ask "Is everything alright?"

My thoughts are going in a million different directions at the moment. Do I tell him that I _know_ who he is? In what felt like forever, but was really only a few seconds, I decided that I should get that out of the way as soon as possible. Our server brought our drinks and an order of chips and salsa. I told him I still needed a few minutes to decide what to order.

After he left, I look at John. "So, I feel it's important for me to tell you that I know _who_ you are John."

He gives me a funny look. "I don't want to sound rude, but what are you talking about?"

I give him a serious look. "I know that you are WWE Superstar John Cena. I know that you are out of action right now because you're healing from your neck surgery."

He smiles for a second. "I kind of figured you did. So you know who I am? Big deal!" he says, shrugging his shoulders.

I shook my head back and forth. "No! John, it's important to me that you know this. I just want you to know that I'm not going to treat you or look at you like some star-struck fan. I will always treat you with respect, like any other person I happen to meet."

He smiled, appearing to want to say something, but our waiter came back to get our order. I ordered a salad and John ordered some fajitas and we handed the menus to the waiter as he left. John looked at me, remembering he was going to say something. "I appreciate that Kaitlyn. But trust me, if you were like those star-struck fans, you most likely would have had a "freak out" moment once you walked up to my Jeep."

"Please, call me Kait. Almost everyone calls me that, with the exception of my father. He insists that the appropriate nickname for Kaitlyn, is 'Kate'." I said to John, as I scrunched my face at the dislike of being called Kate. He chuckled.

"Since we're discussing family, can you tell me a little about them? Where are you from?" John asked, between bites of chips and salsa. "Tell me about your life."

I took a deep breath, then took a few big sips from my sweet tea. 'There's so much about my life I can't share with him, at least right now', I thought.

After eating a chip, I smiled. "Well, for starters, I'm from the great state of Michigan. I moved down here this past January, so I'm still at the point where some days are harder than others when it comes to missing my family. I'm the oldest of two daughters. When we were younger, my sister and I didn't have the greatest of relationships, but now we're like best friends, which is a good thing." I took another drink of sweet tea before I continued. "My parents divorced when I was 13, but it was a friendly divorce. There is no dislike or animosity between them. In fact, him and my step dad get along well, which I'm happy about. My mom…well, she's my hero and my best friend too. I always say that, if I can be half the mother she is, my kids will turn out all right. She raised two daughters through the dreaded "teen" years while still working full time; and the fact that neither my sister, or myself, graduated high school without having a baby or being addicted to drugs or alcohol says a lot, I think. My family means the most to me, besides my Faith in God. Without the love of the Lord and my family, I don't know where I'd be right now." I could feel my eyes water slightly, but I didn't want to cry in front of him, so I quickly blinked back the tears and ate another chip.

John had a slight smile on his face and I couldn't figure out why. It was like he enjoyed seeing me talk about my family. Before I could ask him a question, he said "I have to know: How did you become a wrestling fan? Did you grow up watching it?"

I laughed and shook my head from side to side. "Oh no, it was nothing like that! Growing up, my father always told my sister and I that young ladies do not watch wrestling. Even as we got into fifth and sixth grade, kids would be wearing Austin 3:16 shirts, DX shirts, The Rock shirts, or something like that. I know I had friends in middle school who were big fans, so I kind of lived vicariously through them, learning stuff here and there. Even after my parents split, my sister and I never watched wrestling, because we didn't want our father to find out. It wasn't until my sister started going out with her current boyfriend that she started watching wrestling, which was back in 2005. I was living with my grandparents and dad then, but when my sister would come over on the weekends, she'd turn on Friday Night Smackdown! and watch it, while I'd briefly glance at the TV. Eventually I started asking questions and wanted to watch more, seeing that any misconceptions I had about wrestling were wrong. She told me about Monday Night RAW and I started tuning in somewhat regularly. I was in college and was working as well, so watching every week wasn't something I could do. It wasn't until Eddie's passing in November of 2005-ironically on my mom's birthday-that I started watching every week. Seeing all the guys and girls in the locker room come together to remember Eddie…it moved me to the core." I looked up and saw John was looking at me. Looking into his blue eyes, I said "I became a fan of yours that night John. After your match, when you placed your WWE Championship across Eddie's shirt in the middle of the ring that night, I lost it. I started crying, seeing how much people loved Eddie. Your act of respect and gratitude made me instantly respect and admire you. I've never wavered in being your fan either, no matter how many people call me a 'Cena fan girl' or a 'dumb mark'. I'm not a walking wrestling encyclopedia, but I know the history. I have friends in Michigan who have tapes of old pay-per-views and I'd watch them to learn. I did my research and I think for someone who isn't in the business, I love it and respect it like you do, I'm sure." I smiled when I saw him smile and just then, our waiter appeared with our food and refills of our drinks.

We started eating and after a few bites, I felt like I needed to ask him about his pets. "So, what can you tell me about your pets? Do you have dogs? Cats?"

He laughed lightly, finished chewing the food in his mouth before he answered. "I've got two dogs; a 2 year old German Sheppard named Duke and a 3 year old Yorkshire Terrier named Daisy."

'Daisy must have been Liz's idea, because I can't see John wanting a small dog', I thought. "Aww! I can't wait to meet them. I love dogs! Well, I love most of God's creatures anyways. Are they healthy or do either of them need any kind of medication that I'll have to give them? Are they fixed or do I have to keep them separate? Do I have to worry about Duke humping my leg?" I asked, the last question causing John to nearly spit out his food from laughter.

"That was funny, I wasn't expecting something like that to be said. Duke and Daisy are two happy and healthy animals. They are both fixed, so there's no need to worry about leg humping", he replied with a chuckle. "All you'll be doing is making sure they are being taken care of while I'm out of town. Making sure they have fresh food and water, walking them, brushing them and playing with them. Sound like fun?"

"Sure does! I can't wait to meet them!" I answered.

He looked at me and smirked. "How about you meet them after we finish here?" he asked me. I knew a huge smile came across my face then, and told him I'd love to. We finished our lunch, and after he paid for the meal, we left the restaurant. He walked with me to the passenger side of the Jeep, opening the door for me and helping me in, since the clumsy side of me had shown it's ugly face the first time I got into his Jeep, causing me to nearly slip off the step bar and fall. He closed the door and was in the drivers seat a few seconds later. As he was pulling out of the parking lot, I looked at him and said "Just so you know, I have yet to meet an animal that doesn't like me."

He smirked again and says "Oh really? Well, we'll see about that. Duke is pretty territorial." He said it in a playful, challenging way, I couldn't help but smile. I like a good challenge.

Moments later, we're pulling into his driveway. He turns off the Jeep and gets out. After fighting with the seatbelt for a few seconds, I reach to open the door, but the door wasn't there. I looked and saw that John had opened the door for me. He had his hand reached out to help me. I took his hand and got out of the Jeep with ease. "Thanks." I said.

We walked up to his front door and go inside once he unlocked the door. I stayed in the foyer right inside the front door as Daisy ran up to greet me. She jumped up towards me, tail wagging as though there was no tomorrow, and I noticed she had a pink bow on top of her head. Also probably Liz's idea. John was several feet away from me and Duke was standing by his side, just looking at me. Duke, unlike Daisy, seemed rather stoic, almost cold. His stare made me feel as though he was not just protecting the house, but also John, as though he was fearful I might steal John away from him. After petting and meeting Daisy, I looked at John and asked if I could introduce myself to Duke. He nodded. I knelt down, bringing myself to Duke's level, and I slowly stuck out my hand toward him, to let him sniff me and to show him I meant him no harm. After sniffing my hand, Duke barked and literally tackled me, licking my face and wagging his tail like crazy, my initial impression of him evaporating. John started laughing and came over to pick Duke off of me. After setting him down, John extended his hand out to me to help me up. As I got up, I smiled triumphantly, saying "I guess my 'undefeated streak' of meeting an animal that doesn't like me is still intact." He smiled and we walked into the living room.

"So, Kait, about pay. How much would you be willing to accept?" He asked after I sit on the couch. He sat down in the chair across from me, shifting the mood from a casual atmosphere to one that was more business-oriented.

"Well, I think thirty-five dollars a week is good. Assuming I'm here five days a week, that's seven dollars a day." I respond. I'm definitely hoping he wasn't expecting me to say some lower amount, but the look he made confused me. He looked shocked when I told him what I'd work for.

He slightly shook his head, as though my amount wasn't good enough for him. "How about I pay you $50 a week? I have two dogs, five dollars per dog, five days a week. Fifty dollars seems more appropriate Kait." I wanted to object, but the look on his face told me that the offer wasn't negotiable. I agreed to the pay and we shook hands, him smirking as we struck our deal. He explained that I would be needed whenever he was out of town, that all I would need to do is just to pop in and check on them and spend a bit of time with them. I found it odd he didn't mention his fiancée Liz, but I didn't ask about her. I figured she wasn't around much during the day, as she'd be out shopping or planning her wedding. He did say that if he was out of town for more than a few days, like when he goes overseas and Liz would be with him, I was welcome to stay in the guest bedroom.

I saw that it was now going on 2P. M., and I was sure John had things to do, and I was feeling a little tired. I told John that I should get going and he nodded. I said good-bye to Duke and Daisy and headed toward the door with John. When we got to the door, he asked me if I'd like his number.

"Oh John, I already have your home number." I tell him.

He smiles, "No, I meant my cell phone number." When he said that, I'll admit, I had a minor freak out moment in my head when he said this. 'Oh My God, John Cena wants me to have his cell phone number!' I didn't let this show on my face, however, and simply said "All right." I took my phone out of my purse and entered his number, pressing the 'call' button after finishing. A few seconds later, his phone started ringing. He takes out his phone and answered it.

"And now you have my number." I said into the phone before hanging up, smiling and looking at him. He opened the door for me, and, as I stepped out into the Florida sunshine, he asked me what I was doing later. When I told him I didn't have anything planned, he invited me over around 6:30P. M. for dinner and to accompany him on his evening walk with the dogs. I tell him I'd like that.

"See you at 6:30, then." he told me before smiling and closing the door. I walked down the street a little bit, before walking up the driveway to the back yard to my "house". Once inside, I locked the door and kicked off my flip flops. I walked into my bedroom and laid down on my bed. Without thinking, I grabbed a pillow and covered my face, muffling the sound of my screams of delight. Now that I was alone, I was allowed to have a freak out moment right? After I let out all my giddiness and excitement, I grabbed my phone and called my best friend Alex, who lives in Oklahoma City, who I had met through MySpace, back when John had a profile page on the site.

"You are NOT going to believe the day I've had!" I said to him when he answered, still very giddy.

"Oh, is that so?" he asked rhetorically. I could tell by the sound of his voice that he was smiling. "I'm assuming that you want to talk about it."

"Well of course!"

He laughed. "Okay. I can't talk about it now, but how about you call me around 10:30 your time?"

"Okay. I'll talk to you then!" I hung up. Ironically, I could almost see the look on his face, probably wondering what happened today that was so wonderful. Wouldn't he be surprised!

After a few yawns, I decided to try to take a small nap. I set my alarm for 5:30 so I could wake up and get ready for dinner. Succumbing to the sudden, overwhelming sense of sleepiness, I laid down and closed my eyes. Before drifting off to sleep, I wondered what the night would have in store for me.

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><p><strong>Review are welcome and appreciated!<strong>

**Hopefully I'll get my next chapter up within the next few days! **

**Take care everyone!**

**Kat**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter! I hope you'll enjoy it!**

**Thank you all so much for the reviews of the last chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I only own my O/C and the plot. WWE owns John.**

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><p>For a moment, I thought I was dreaming, because I heard the beginning of John's theme music, "My Time Is Now," playing. Unfortunately, it wasn't, it was just my alarm going off. I reached for my phone and turned off the alarm, surprised I had gotten a three hour nap.<p>

I sat up in bed while I checked to see if I had any missed calls or text messages. I had one: a text message from John. I smiled as I read it: _Hope you don't mind coming with me to karaoke tonight._

I set my phone down on my nightstand and headed into the bathroom. _Karaoke with John? How exciting!_ I thought to myself. I turned the shower on, taking off my clothes while I waited for the water to get just right. I turned on the stereo I had in my bathroom, before I stepped into the shower. Once in the shower, I let the warm water run down my body, surprised that my muscles were so relaxed and at ease, despite how overwhelming the day had already been. I started turning over some concerns in my mind. _What will tonight be about? Is this a business dinner, or is it something else? What if it _is_ something else?_

I shampooed my hair, then washed my face and body, giving the shampoo a little more time to do its job. Once I rinsed off, I worked some conditioner through my hair, letting it set while I shaved my legs. _I'm not expecting anything to happen. Why am I worrying about this?_ I rinsed out my hair and turned off the water, having already finished my legs.

After I towel dried my hair, I wrapped a towel around my body and walked to my closet. I looked at a few sundresses before I decided to play it safe and wear my favorite pair of jeans with a light pink flannel shirt. I laid out the clothes on my bed and returned to the bathroom. _I mean, I know that I'm essentially his employee, but...there's always the chance that he could mean it to be something more...right? ...No, he's engaged, he wouldn't do that to Liz. ...Would he?_ I combed out my hair and pulled it back into a simple French braid, letting shorter locks of hair hang down to frame my face. I applied some moisturizer to my face and some lotion on my legs and brushed my teeth before I headed into my bedroom. I got dressed and decided to wear my cowboy boots. I looked at myself in the full length mirror I had in the corner, where I decided I would lightly apply some makeup. I have to have the perfect face on to be presentable, especially around my employer after all.

_...No, he's a faithful person. And I'm simply his employee. I won't be dealing with Liz, and I shouldn't go sticking my nose where it doesn't belong._

I walked back into my bathroom and pulled my make up bag out of a drawer under the counter. I hesitated, setting my makeup brush down on the side of the sink and braced myself against the counter. What _if_ he intended this to go somewhere? Does he actually find me attractive? ...Well, that's flattering, but he's still in a committed relationship. _Damn, I'm getting nowhere with these circular thoughts. I need to finish getting ready. I don't want to be late! _I kept it natural and applied some pale pink eye shadow, brown eyeliner on the edge of my lower eye lids and some black brown mascara to my eyelashes. I had been blessed with long, full eyelashes, so I didn't need to curl them like some women do. I completed the look with a slight brush of pale pink blush and a neutral peach toned lip gloss. I grabbed a bottle of perfume and sprayed some into the air, slowly walked through it and put the bottle back on the counter. I grabbed the lip gloss and a smaller bottle of matching perfume, turned off the stereo and the light as I left the bathroom. _Right on time_, I thought as I glanced at the clock and saw that it was 6:25. I got a smaller purse from my closet and walked to my bed. I put my wallet, the lip gloss and perfume bottle inside. I grabbed my phone and my keys and turned to the mirror, where I took one last look at myself. _Well, all I can do is see where tonight goes._ With a deep breath to steady my nerves and calm my mind, I was out the door.

As I walked, I sent John a quick text message, telling him I would be there in a few minutes. I then called Frank and left a message that I had plans tonight and I wasn't sure when I'd be back, so I'd set the alarm when I got in.

I walked up to John's front door and rang the doorbell. I noticed the silhouettes of Duke and Daisy come up to the door, but after a minute passed and John hadn't answered the door, I pushed the doorbell button again. The dogs started to bark. I felt my phone vibrate in my purse and checked it to find a text from John: _Please, just come in already!_

I shook my head and smiled as I opened the door. Duke and Daisy were happy to see me and I was happy to see them too. After I set my purse on a table in the foyer, I slowly made my way to the kitchen, where I took in the house's architecture: John's house was _way_ different from Frank's.

My thoughts shifted to food the further I made it into the house, the smells of which practically carrying me to the kitchen. I entered and saw John slicing some vegetables, a bowl of salad greens next to him. His back was to me, so I knocked on the counter to get his attention and he turned toward me. "I wasn't sure I should just walk in," I said to him.

He smiled and replied "It's all right. As long as I'm expecting you, you can just come in." I nodded in agreement and took a seat at the side of the big island counter in the middle of the kitchen. A few minutes later, John finished chopping the vegetables, and after he mixed them in with the salad greens, he walked over to the refrigerator and placed the bowl inside. Before he closed the door, he looked at me. "Can I get you anything to drink?" he asked.

"What do you have?" I asked him in return.

"I've got water, milk, juice, wine and beer." he replied, which caused me to smile.

"Well, what are we having for dinner? That'll make it easier for me to pick a drink. And just so you know, it smells _amazing_ in here," I said, which caused John to smile.

"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise. I made a salad, I've got some chicken cooking on the grill and some homemade alfredo sauce simmering on the stove. Once that's done, I've got some pasta to cook. When _that's_ done, I'll put it all together for some of the best chicken fettuccine alfredo you've ever had. Oh, and some homemade garlic bread to go with it." He smirked, obviously proud of himself for the meal he'd prepared.

"Yum, sounds delicious, John! In that case, I'll take a glass of wine. Whatever you think will go well with dinner." I told him. He took out a bottle of wine and took a couple wine glasses out of the cupboard. After he poured some in the glasses, he walked over and handed me one. I thanked him and he turned to finish dinner.

I sipped my wine and relaxed, and I watched as John cooked. He turned the chicken over on the stove top grill and stirred the sauce. He then started to slice a loaf of bread, then brushed the pieces with some garlic butter before he placed them on a cookie sheet and slid them in the oven to bake. After he added some salt and olive oil to the pot of boiling water, he dropped the pasta in and gave it a quick stir before he turned to look at me.

"Dinner should be ready in about ten to fifteen minutes." He told me before taking a sip of wine.

"Awesome! It really does smell great, John. I can't wait to eat!" I replied, which made him smile.

"So, Kait, you've already told me about where you're from, about your family. Why don't you tell me one thing about yourself that surprises people when they hear it?" John asked. It seemed as if he wanted to get to know more about me. Again.

I thought for a moment before I answered him. "Well, usually people are surprised to find out I'm a huge sports fan." I said, which caused him to raise his eyebrow at me. He smirked, almost as if he wanted to question me. Before he could ask, I said, "I don't want to sound boastful, but I kind of like to think that I'm the best of both worlds: I guess I'd say I'm the kind of girl who will sit at home watching a game, drink a beer and do my nails."

He set his glass down on the counter and crossed his arms, bracing himself on his elbows. "What kind of sports do you like?" he asked me.

"I think the question is 'what kind of sports do I _not_ like?'" I said, giggling. "My favorite sport is hockey. That is the only sport where I am loyal to one team, the Detroit Red Wings. I like baseball too; I'm a fan of my hometown team, the Detroit Tigers. And I despise the Yankees." John started laughing. "You'll probably get a kick out of this," I continued, "but I've been a casual fan of the Red Sox since the 2004 season when they won the World Series." I was right, because he smiled the biggest smile on his face I had seen from him all day.

"I've got to know, and please don't take this the wrong way Kait. I take it you like football?" he asked as he turned is head toward me while stirring the pasta. I nodded. "Are you a fan of your hometown team, despite the unsuccessful seasons they've had recently?"

I took another sip of wine before I gave him my answer. "Believe it or not, I am a Detroit Lions fan," I said, smirking. "My belief is this: If you are a true sports fan, you'll support your home team, through the good times and bad. I mean, there's got to be some fans left after the mainstream fans jump off the bandwagon when times get rough. But I'm also a fan of the Patriots; I mean, Tom Brady is a fellow Wolverine!"

With each thing I told him, he would smile, laugh or chuckle. It made me wish I could read his mind, to figure out what he was thinking. _Why did he invite me over for karaoke? Was it just to get to know his "employee" better, or…? I mean, it seems like he's sending me signals that he wants this relationship between us to be more than just business… Nah, maybe I'm reading too much into it. I don't mind being friends._

Even still, there was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind, like there was more to this than I was allowing myself to see.

John gave the pasta a final stir, taking a piece and eating it, to make sure it's cooked to his liking. As he poured the pasta into a strainer, I asked if he needed help with anything. He assured me he didn't, but I noticed the table wasn't set, so I insisted on at least setting the table. He showed me where everything was and, a few moments later, the table was set. I went to the counter to grab the bottle of wine we had started and our glasses. As I poured some more wine, John placed the dishes of food on the table. When I made my way to my seat, John pulled out my chair, which allowed me to sit down. After he pushed me a bit closer to the table, he sat down and looked at me. My eyebrows were raised, as though I was questioning his behavior, but I didn't have to say anything.

As if he read my mind, he said, "Hey, my parents raised me right!" I was really impressed with how natural it was for him to be a gentleman. As he served the food, I said a quick prayer before I started eating. I twirled some of the fettuccine on my fork and took a bite. As soon as I put the first bite of pasta in my mouth, I was instantly surprised at how delicious the food was. The richness and flavor of the sauce, the perfectly cooked pasta and how tender the pieces of chicken were…it really _was_ the best chicken fettuccini alfredo I have ever had.

"My compliments to the chef on a wonderful meal." I said, as I looked up at him and I saw a smile form on his face, even as he chewed his food.

"Grazie." John replied, and I smiled in return before going back to my meal.

We were quiet for a few minutes, which was a way to tell the meal was excellent, or at least that's how I was raised.

Suddenly, John looked at me for a few moments, as if he was trying to figure something out. I felt slightly anxious, because of how he stared at me. "What? Do I have something on my face?" I asked, as I picked up my napkin to wipe my mouth.

"No, you don't have anything on your face, Kait. It's just…" he said, hesitant to continue, as if he wasn't sure how to say it. "I've been trying to figure out how old you are all day. One minute I think you're one age, a half hour later I think you're younger, an hour later I think you're older. I know you aren't supposed to ask a lady her age, but would you mind telling me how old you are?"

I giggled slightly before I answered. "I just turned twenty-two John, back on October 30th." I looked at John again, but the smile faded when I saw the look on his face, a mixture of shock and amazement. "John, what's wrong?" I asked.

He blinked. "Wow, I think out of everything you've told me today, that little answer about your age surprises me the most. I thought you were older, around twenty-five or twenty-six. You are so mature for you age Kait, and you are way more grounded." He smiled then and added "Hell, you're more grounded than most women around _my_ age!" He paused before he continued. "I hope you're not offended that I thought you were older."

I shook my head back and forth. "Not at all, John. Thank you for the compliments. You'd be surprised how many people think I'm older than I really am. I've gotten that most of my life," I said to him. I thought for a moment before I added, "I hope my age doesn't make you look any differently toward me." I picked up my fork and continued eating.

He covered his mouth with his napkin and shook his head. When he finished chewing, he looked at me. "Of course I'm not going to look at you any differently. I, for one, think it's awesome that you know so much at your age. You are wise beyond your years, Kait. Don't let anyone make you feel bad about that. Ever."

I thanked him with a smile before I turned back to the delicious food on my plate.

We finished our meal about ten minutes later. After a brief dispute, I cleared off the table and did the dishes. "It's the least I can do after a fantastic meal." I said, as I rinsed off a plate to hand to him, so he could dry it. He looked at me and thanked me with a smile. I looked into his brilliant blue eyes for a moment. I realized that those blue eyes would cause me to lose all sense of time, like I would truly get lost in them. _No, stop it, this wasn't a romantic date! It was dinner between friends!_ I reminded myself.

I turned my head when I heard the sound of paws on the kitchen floor. Duke and Daisy decided to join us in the kitchen. After I dried off my hands, my attention went to them. I bent down to pet Daisy, since Duke had decided to get a drink. Duke came over to me once he was done and stuck his head under my arm, obviously jealous of the attention Daisy had gotten. I laughed and scratched his head, before I turned toward John. "Is it time for their walk yet?" I asked. Once they heard the word, two sets of ears perked up, and Duke became restless, jumping around and play-bowing, his tail wagging.

John had finished drying his hands. "Yes it is!" he said. After he hung up the dish towel, he went out to the pool area. Seconds later, he walked back in and handed me the two dog leashes he had gotten. "I'll be right back. Take these and meet me over by the front door," he said to me as he walked out of the kitchen. I looked down to see two pairs of brown eyes looking at me. "Come on!" I said, making my way to the front of the house with my new fans following close behind.

I couldn't help but smile as I leaned against the front door and waited for John. This whole day had been a whirlwind for me. I couldn't believe the direction my life had taken in the last day. I wondered where it would take me, and something in my gut told me, that for the first time in months, I really was going to be okay.

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><p><strong>Hoped you liked it! As always, reviews are welcome. <strong>

**Take care y'all! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey y'all! I'm so sorry about the delay of getting this chapter up! I've been incredibly busy as of late with work because I go on vacation in a few days. And as a department manager, I have to make sure everything will be fine while I'm gone! But the good news is with me being on vacation, I should be able to get a few more chapters up quicker! *fingers crossed* Let's hope, right? Lol**

**Enjoy the chapter! Read, review, favorite...you all know the drill! I'm so honored that with each chapter, I'm seeing more people favorite this story! Thank you all so much, it means a lot!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC and the plot! John owns himself!**

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><p>John emerged from the hallway a few minutes later. He had changed his clothes, now wearing a pair of basketball shorts and a gray muscle t-shirt. He held a pair of old, dirty sneakers and I wondered what he needed those shoes for. <em>We're just going for a walk, after all,<em> I thought.

He grabbed his keys and phone off of the table I had set my purse on when I came in. I already had Duke and Daisy on their leashes, so I opened the door and went outside. He slipped on his sneakers and closed and locked the door behind him. He turned to me and lightly grabbed my forearm, taking the loop on Duke's leash off my wrist. He looked at me and smirked. "Trust me, Duke is a prankster. If you tried walking him, he'd be dragging you all over," he said, chuckling.

"Thanks for looking out, then," I said before a giggle escaped my lips.

We walked around the entire neighborhood, enjoying the fall Floridian breeze and slightly laughing at Daisy. She tried valiantly to keep up with Duke, but her little legs wouldn't let her keep the pace for too long. Eventually, we made our way toward the gate at the entrance of the community. That's when I noticed the muscles in John's left arm had flexed slightly, signaling Duke was in a hurry to get somewhere.

Once outside the gate, John led us over to a small clearing across from the lake behind our houses. Daisy and I stopped when I saw John and Duke come to a halt.

"You ready, Duke?" John asked the shepherd, who replied with a few barks and a fast wagging tail. John crouched down beside the dog, petting his head. Duke sat down before John removed his leash. John stood up and handed the leash to me. He smiled at me. "Watch this Kait. It's one of my favorite things to do when I'm home."

Suddenly, John clapped his hands loudly, and the next thing I knew, he and Duke took off running. I saw a large tree stump nearby, so I led Daisy over to it and took a seat. I laughed as I saw John and Duke playing around. I looked down and saw a pair of brown eyes looking up at me. I smiled and patted my leg, the signal for her to jump up. "Come here, girl," I said to her. Instantly, the sweet Yorkshire terrier was in my lap. She laid down and I began to slowly pet her. "You're such a sweetheart, Daisy," I whispered to her when she looked up at me. She licked my hand and put her head back down.

I heard several barks and turned my head to the right slightly. I saw John laying on the ground with his arms underneath him for some reason, Duke on top of him barking while John laughed. Once Duke got off of John, he stood up and raised his arms in the air. _Ah-ha, that must be what was causing Duke to go crazy, _I said to myself once I saw the stick in John's hands. Duke barked again and John threw the stick for Duke to go fetch. _It's really cool that I get to see John like this. It's a different side of him, one I'm sure many people don't get to see, _I thought.

The sun had almost completely set, so I sat there and took in the last bit of its warmth. The dark of night was slowly making its way across the sky, signaling the end of the day. I turned my head to the left, feeling water on my face coming from off the lake. Across the lake from where I sat, rising up three stories, was the apartment complex I had lived in when I first moved to Florida. After a brief moment of searching, I located my old apartment building. Immediately after I found the building, I spotted the screened-in lanai that led to either my old bedroom or the living room. I closed my eyes, remembering all the nights I'd sit out in the lanai and think about things, or seek out some sort of guidance as I talked to God. I remembered how I'd sit out there, listening to the breeze, the sounds of the water from the lake that would help me relax and unwind from a long day.

As I sat there on the stump, I relived and reflected on the last four years of my life. Four _long_ years of my young life…and every nightmarish memory that haunted me, every decision I had ever made during that time and those that I regret, the life-altering things that kept me up some nights and the gut-wrenching feelings. All that stuff left me feeling confused and alone. Everything I still carried with me, what I would always carry with me to an extent, caused tears to form in my eyes. _How did I let all that stuff get so out of control? _I wondered as Daisy started to nudge and lick my hand. _I've always thought animals have ways of sensing what we humans are feeling._ I smiled slightly. I didn't want to cry over this…stuff…again. But deep down, I knew it was good: good for my mind and good for my soul. Sure, I may carry this emotional baggage around for the rest of my life, without really being able to share it with others. At this point, only Alex knew the far extent of everything. My family had found out about some stuff, but I spared them from the darker, more painful information.

I sobbed as I sat on the tree stump, and I smiled slightly as I remembered something my mom had said to me when I was little: _It's okay to cry when you're hurting, sweetie. Each tear drop you cry is the soul's way of cleansing itself of all the hurt and pain, bringing it one step closer to healing. _I closed my eyes and replayed that memory in my head, until it got to the point that it felt like my mom was sitting beside me. I wrapped my arms around myself and squeezed, like I was hugging myself. This was another thing my mom had taught my sister and me: _No matter where you are in life, whether you're sad, lonely or just need reassurance about something, wrap your arms around you, squeeze as tight as you can and think of me, hugging you. _

I must have gotten caught up in my thoughts and lost track of time. I didn't even notice John and Duke approach me. Duke, just like Daisy had, sensed my hurt and he walked over and sat down next to me. He nuzzled my arm and licked my hand a few times, as if to reassure me that everything would be okay. _Goodness, this dog reminds me of my old dog, Socks. She isn't with us anymore, but she acted just like this when I was sad, _I thought.

My hands covered my face as I tried to regain my composure. I didn't even notice John sit down next to me on the stump. I felt an elbow nudge me on my right side and I moved my hands to look at John. I must have had puffy, red eyes and tear-stained cheeks, but he looked at me with a look I had never seen from any man before. It confused me, but I shook it off. He smiled sweetly and gave me a sympathetic, yet reassuring look. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked me.

I wiped my eyes once more and tried my best to smile back at him. "Not really," I responded. But when I saw his expression sadden, I quickly added, "It's just…now is not the best time, John. You just met me a few hours ago, I couldn't possibly dump my entire life's story on you at once." I nudged him in his side and gave him a slight smile. "Now that I know you'd listen, when I'm ready, I know who to talk to." The smile I was starting to love returned to his face and I could see he was going to say something. Before he got the chance to say it, I giggled and said, "Well, I hope you have the patience of a saint, because there is _a lot_ to tell you, so it may not be all at once."

"Trust me, I'm not the greatest when it comes to patience, but when it pertains to something important, patience just somehow comes to me," he said, still smiling.

We both laughed then and that's when I noticed how dirty he was. He'd worked up quite a sweat playing with Duke, and he had dirt all over his arms and face, plus his once-grey shirt was now almost a dark grey, bordering black. Realizing the need to change his clothes beforehand, I stood up with Daisy in my arms.

"Perhaps we should be getting back. You are absolutely covered in dirt and I'm sure you'd like to clean up before karaoke tonight," I said as he stood up.

John started laughing. "Well damn! I was gonna go as I am now, if you wouldn't have said anything," he said, which made me laugh.

I put Daisy down on the ground and stood up, stretching my arms and back. _Jeez, was I really sitting on the stump for an hour?_

I bent down to put the leash back on Daisy, when John lightly grabbed my arm to stop me. "No need for that until we get inside the community. She won't leave your side," he said to me as he helped me stand up.

We started to walk and I looked at John. "So, this time out here in the clearing…is it because they get to be 'free'? To run around and play?" I asked.

He nodded. "I hate having to put them on leashes, especially Duke. He's a shepherd, they need to have the ability to run, play, bark and do all that stuff. He can't do that much at home, because my backyard isn't that big. So the few times where I'm home during the week, I like to bring him over here and just sort of cut loose with him. I think he's truly happy out there. He's a good dog, very smart too. I didn't need so spend a whole lot of time training him as a puppy. He picked up on how to 'sit', 'speak', 'shake' and 'roll over' fairly quickly. House training him was easy too. And he's one hell of a guard dog. He's very loyal to me and I appreciate his loyalty a lot."

All of a sudden, Daisy started barking at John, possibly upset that he was singing Duke's praises and not paying any attention to her. I started laughing, so hard my stomach started to hurt. "I guess she told you!" I said, once I regained my ability to breathe.

John chuckled. "_Daisy_ here," he said, "is a smart and good little girl too. She's a year older than Duke, so she's probably responsible for Duke's fast learning, since he probably just mimicked whatever she did. She's small, but her personality and her attitude make her so much bigger than she is. She's a fiery little thing, but she's also very loyal. I appreciate her loyalty just as much as Duke's."

As he said this, we walked inside the gate to our community. Duke and Daisy stopped so we could attach the leashes. Duke whined slightly and John patted his head. "I know, boy. I hate doing this to you. Stupid homeowner's association rules," he said, which caused me to smile. We continued the walk and as we stepped onto John's property, he stopped and took the leashes off the dogs. Duke and Daisy ran to the front door and sat down, waiting for us to reach the doorway. I handed John Daisy's leash and I noticed his smirk had reappeared.

Before I could say anything, he asked, "So, are you ready to party with John Cena?"

I literally felt my jaw fall open a bit. It took me a few moments before I answered him, giving myself a little bit of time to think about my response. I looked up at him and smirked. "I'm about as ready as I could be. And don't worry, I didn't come anywhere close to having a 'freak out' moment."

He started to laugh as we reached to door. He unlocked the door and took off his shoes. When we entered the house, he set the leashes on the table near my purse and turned to me. "I'm going to go clean up and get ready. Make yourself comfortable. If you're thirsty, help yourself to anything in the refrigerator," he said to me before he turned and walked down the hallway toward his bedroom.

I walked to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. I downed half the bottle in a few big gulps. I thought back to my mini-breakdown in the clearing while John and Duke played fetch. It meant a lot to me the John didn't press or try to force me to talk to him about what was upsetting me. I'd already found it was easy to talk to him and I already knew I could trust him with anything. But I was honest when I told him I wasn't ready to talk about it, and I smiled, realizing that, when I was ready, he would be there for me no matter what.

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><p><strong>I'm hoping I'll have Chapter 5 up in a few days! Thank you all so much for not losing faith in me and for believing in this story. :)<strong>

**Take care everyone! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! So my vacation is going really well! Thankfully it's going by so slow! I can relax and work on my story!**

**Here's Chapter 5 of my story. WARNING, there is a small amount of cursing in this chapter. Please take this into consideration when reading it. And know that it won't be a regular thing through out the story. I will always put a warning like this at the beginning of the chapter if there is! So hopefully the small bit of cursing won't turn you off from the story. **

**It's also been brought to my attention that people on a well known site that people post stories on an app are stealing peoples stories and claiming them as their own. Please, if you see this happen to my story, please report it and let me know! I will not tolerate plagiarism, of ANY kind, with my work. Even if you credit me, it's still plagiarism!**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OC Kaitlyn and the plot! I do not claim to own the WWE or John Cena, nor do I claim to know any of the happenings in the personal life of someone like John.**

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><p>I had made my way out to the screened-in pool area in the back of house. I looked at the pool, and as tempted as I was to go for a swim, I settled for just letting my feet soak in the water. I sat down on the edge of the pool, with my back to the house. I took off my boots and rolled up the legs of my jeans. I placed my feet in the water, surprised to find that the water temperature was cooler than I thought it would be.<p>

Within seconds, Daisy was at my side. She apparently wanted more attention, having already figured out I'd be more than willing to give it to her. A part of me was slightly disturbed, however. _It's as if she doesn't get attention from BOTH her owners_, I thought. I picked Daisy up so I could look her in the eyes. "Don't worry baby girl, as long as I'm around, you'll always get love and attention from me." Daisy started to wiggle in my hands, when she finally managed to get close enough that she could reach out and lick my face. I set her down in my lap and she curled up on my leg.

While I sat there and patted Daisy's head, I looked up to the night sky, through the glass that enclosed John's pool area. I searched for the biggest and brightest star in the sky. I did this whenever I talked to my Grandma, who had passed away a few years before. Ever since she passed, usually when I was troubled or there was something going on in my life that caused confusion, I would feel her presence around me.

When I found the star I was searching for, I started to talk to my Grandma. I knew I'd feel her near me as soon as I started to speak.

"Crazy couple of years I've had, huh Grandma?" I said. "I know I've said it before, numerous times, but I'm sorry that of all the guys out there, I had to introduce you to that…horrible monster, Nick."Just saying his name in my mind made my eyes water, and instantly I had tears softly rolling down my face. "I'm sorry you had to watch…him…do everything he did to me from Heaven, Grandma." I knew that wherever my Grandma was, my Grandpa was there as well. That's how they were in life, and I knew, even in death, they were together again, truly forever this time."I know it had to break your heart, and Grandpa's too, seeing me go through my own personal Hell, and not being able to do anything to stop it. I'm sure I don't have to say it, but when he dies, make sure Grandpa meets him at the Gate with St. Peter. Grandpa, I hope you'll give him a swift kick in the ass, sending him straight to Hell." My Grandpa had passed away when I was five years old, but I did have a few memories of him. I remembered he had a very distinct laugh, and I swear that at that precise moment, I heard that laugh off in the distance, which made me smile slightly, even through the tears. "Can y'all please do me a favor, Grandma and Grandpa? Please help keep my Momma strong, and comfort her when she's really missing me. It pains me so much when I talk to hear and I hear in her voice how badly she misses me."

Just then, Duke walked up and laid down next to me. I didn't think anything of it then, as I was caught up in my thoughts. I petted his head and lightly scratched between his ears before I continued. "Excuse my language Grandma and Grandpa, but even though the last four years have been one fucked up roller coaster, at the end of the each day, I hope I still make y'all proud. I know moving here to Florida may not have been something y'all agreed with…and Lord knows Amanda wasn't who I thought she was, but I'm beginning to like it down here. Keep looking out for me like you two always have…and always will. I love you Grandma, and Grandpa, so very much. I miss you both a lot too, because there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about you."

Little did I know at the time, John stood in the sliding doorway that led from the house to the pool area, and that he had heard everything I had said during my one-sided conversation.

I wasn't aware of John's presence, until I felt something set on my shoulder. I turned my head to see a towel, before I looked up to see John standing behind me. "I figured you would need this for your feet", he said to me while the corners of his mouth drew up to form a smile. I thanked him before I picked Daisy up off my lap and kissed her head before I set her down on the ground. I dried my feet and put my boots back on. John reached out his hand to help me stand up and I gladly took it with a smile. After I was on my feet, I bent down to fix my jeans. It wasn't until I stood up again that I took in the sight of John.

For a moment, I was taken aback by how casually dressed he was. I was used to seeing him in a suit or in his jean shorts and black shirts the WWE was currently marketing. Now, as he stood before me, he wore a pair of _actual_ jeans and a light plaid shirt, whose material matched mine, with the sleeves slightly rolled up and the top two buttons left undone. The blue color in the shirt made his already beautiful blue eyes seem brighter, while the light brown stripes made his tan skin glow. He looked devastatingly handsome, and the smirk on his face that started to show his dimples made my heart skip a beat. I had never seen him look like this before.

I had to shake my head slightly to regain my focus. "Uh…where should I put the towel?" I asked, mostly to break the silence.

"Just hang it on the line over there," he said, pointing to a clothesline in a far corner of the patio. I hung up the towel and made my way inside the house, followed by Duke, Daisy and John. I went to put the empty bottle of water in the recycling bin, when I noticed the sliding door was opened slightly.

"Aren't you going to close the door John?" I asked.

John made his way back into the kitchen. "I always leave that door open a bit, just in case some dumbass tries to break in from the back yard. Duke will hear them and he'll be there instantly," he answered as we made our way out of the kitchen toward the front door.

I grabbed my purse off the table and turned to John. "Do I have time to freshen up before we leave?"

He looked at me and smiled. "Sure. Bathroom's down the hallway, second door on the left," he told me.

I walked down the hallway, noticing that there were several doors: a lone door on the right side of the hallway, a single door at the end of the hallway and three doors on the left side of the hallway. _Well, that door to my right must be the master bedroom, _I thought. I got to the second door on the left hand side and opened the door. After I turned on the light and closed the door behind me, I took a second to look around. _Whoever decided on the décor in this bathroom doesn't have the greatest of taste, and it certainly doesn't look like two adults live here, _I deduced. The walls were still white and bare, the shower curtain was clear, with the only color coming from the various species of fish that were spread across the material. The rugs on the floor were tan, but looked rather dingy, like they hadn't been cleaned in a while. The towels on the towel rod were teal and blue that kind of matched the fish on the shower curtain. _If I lived here, I'd redo this bathroom in a heartbeat. John's classier than this. And last I checked…he wasn't three years old._

That's when I noticed two other doors. One was next to the sink, so I figured that was the linen closet. Curiosity got the best of me then, because I went to the other door and opened it. I didn't turn the light on in the room, the light from the bathroom lit up the room enough for me to see a desk with a computer on it. _John has an office. I never pegged him as a man that had an office in his house, _I giggled to myself before I shut the door.

I went to the sink and double checked my face. Since I had cried, I wanted to make sure my eye make-up hadn't run, happy to discover it didn't. _Thank God for waterproof mascara_, I thought. I touched up my lip gloss and checked to make sure my hair was still in place. Normally, my straight, chestnut brown hair fell to the bottom of my shoulder blades, even after I had layers added to it. I preferred the look and feel of long hair, and the layers really accentuated my heart shaped face. But with my hair pulled back in a French braid, my hair appeared shorter that it truly was. I loved to braid my hair after I'd just finished washing it, and then to take the braid out hours later, or when I'd wake up the next day if I showered at night before bed. It would add soft, delicate waves to my hair without much effort, and a slight addition of hairspray would make the waves last all day.

I sprayed on a bit of perfume before I turned to leave the bathroom, where I made my way to the front door. John stood there, waiting for me. As he leaned against the front door, he looked at me and asked if I was ready. I told him I was as ready as I could be before I smiled at him. I quickly petted Daisy and rubbed Duke's head before I walked out the front door that John held open for me. _He's such a gentleman! Obviously, I need to get used to this, because it doesn't seem like he's going to stop, _I thought to myself.

We walked over to his maroon 2006 Dodge Viper pickup truck and he opened the door for me. I climbed inside and before I can do it he closed the door and ran over to the driver's side. Once inside, he started the truck and pulled out of the driveway.

"So, where are we going?" I asked, reaching for the radio and playing with the stations as he made his way down the side street. I always did that whenever I got in a vehicle, it had become a habit. Even as a passenger, I would switch stations until I found something I liked. I was happy that he didn't seem to mind.

He laughed, probably at my channel surfing. "We are going to a little hang out spot about fifteen minutes from here," he replied.

I stopped on a local country music station, and I saw him smirk. "I wasn't aware you liked country music," he said, looking at me when he came to a stop sign.

"Are you kidding?" I replied. "I grew up listening to this stuff. Back home, I either listened to country or the soft rock mix station. But then I started high school and that's when I discovered the hip hop, rap, R&B, rock, punk and alternative genres. But I also played the clarinet in the school's band, and through that I discovered my love for classical, jazz, blues and even some musicals. My taste in music is very eclectic. I think the only kind of music I never got into was that screamo, death metal stuff, as well as techno."

John chuckled as the truck pulled up to a red light, when he turned to look at me. "Wow, you just surprised me again, Kait", he said. The light turned green then and signaled to turn left.

"So," I started to ask, "is there any chance you'll do karaoke tonight?"

His laughter that followed my question was the hardest I'd seen him laugh all day. He finally answered me. "It's a possibility. What about you?"

"Oh good God, no! I've never done it before, and for good reason. I can't sing," I answered him, then added silently to myself, _How embarrassing it would be to sing horribly in front of John Cena!_

He smiled at me kindly. "Well, let's just see where the night takes us", he said to me. A few minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot for "the hang out" spot. He got out of the truck and walked over to open my door. After I exited the vehicle, he set the alarm as we walked to the front of the bar. He opened the door for me again. I walked in and noticed the area for karaoke was in a room to the left of the door. He spotted a table towards the back of the room and we maneuvered through the crowded room to sit down.

He pulled out my chair for me and pushed me in after I sat down. He leaned down and asked if I wanted anything to eat or drink. I briefly looked over the menu, before I turned to look and answer him. "I'll take an order of the corn bites and a pineapple Malibu please." He nodded his head and walked to the bar to place our order. A few minutes went by and he sat down at the table next to me so we faced the stage.

He placed my drink in front of me before asking, "Should we toast to anything?"

I grabbed my glass and raised it slightly. After a moment of thought, I said "To a new beginning and the start of a great…friendship?" I posed it as a question, because I really wasn't sure what to call it.

He nodded his head in agreement and said "To new beginnings and a great friendship." He touched his beer bottle to my glass and we took a drink.

I smiled, but on the inside, I had thoughts that ran in every direction. _Stop thinking it's a date, Kait, because it's not. He's engaged to another…woman, to say it nicely. Oh my God, I'm sitting here with John Cena! I have spent the entire day with him! …Wait a second, why is he looking at me like that? He shouldn't have that look on his face, he's got a smile on his face and a look that says, "I like this woman. I'm interested in her and intrigued by her." _Goodness, if there was ever a time I wanted to know what he was thinking, this was it. I had a strong feeling, in the back of my mind, that tonight was going to a very interesting night.

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><p><strong>Alright everyone! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Hopefully I'll have chapter 6 up in a few days! <strong>

**If you read it, please review it! And tell your buddies on here to check out the story if you love it! **

**Until next time y'all...take care and God Bless! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this update posted. I returned to work this past week from vacation and I've been so busy! So to make up for the long wait, I made this an extra long chapter with some Kait/John fluff! :)**

**I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews and for favoriting the story...as well as subscribing for story or author alerts! I love seeing that stuff in my email inbox!**

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><p>It took about thirty minutes for my order of corn bites to make it to our table. I picked one up instantly, not waiting for it cool down, dipping it in the side of honey that came with them and took a bite. I turned to John and said, "Oh my heaven, these are so delicious. John, you have to try one!" He reached over and grabbed one, but I touched his arm to stop him before he took at bite. "Dip it in the honey first," I said to him, which caused him to chuckle.<p>

He did as I suggested and put the entire corn bite in his mouth. "Wow, this _is_ good!" he said as he looked at me, before he got up from the table and walked to the bar.

A few minutes later, John returned to the table with another round of drinks for us. I was about to ask him why he went to the bar, when he looked at me and said "I placed another order of corn bites."

I smiled and finished my first Pineapple-Malibu. "Oh, awesome! Thanks for the drinks by the way." I said, which he returned with a smile and slight nod of his head.

We started to talk casually. I noticed a few people who come into my work all the time, and I couldn't help but laugh at how they were acting after having a bit of alcohol in their systems. We were enjoying the karaoke performances, clapping along to songs or laughing along with the other people when someone would screw up the lyrics.

The bartender brought over our other order of corn bites and we immediately dug in. John looked at me then, as I put the last piece of one of the corn bites in my mouth. I became self-conscious for a second, but that went away when he said, "So, I've decided to do a song tonight. Have you decided if you're going to sing, Kait?"

I was relieved to find out that's why he had been looking at me. "Oh Lord. I…I don't think so John. Like I said, I'm not that good of a singer, even for karaoke," I told him with a smile.

His facial expression changed to one that looked almost thoughtful for a moment, but then his face turned serious, still maintaining that kindness. "Tell you what, Kait. If I do a song, then you have to do a song. If you want, I'll do the song with you. If you do a song, I'll buy a round of shots, whatever you like. Okay?"

I was lost in thought, hesitant to give John a response. When he touched my arm, I looked at him and saw him smile at me. "Kait, trust me. It'll be fun! Don't think about it so much. Just let loose! You're out with me, John Cena, remember? I wouldn't do it if it wasn't fun."

I already knew I could trust him, so I agreed to his proposition and told him it wouldn't be necessary for him to do a song with me.

John grabbed the song binder off the table next to us and we started to look through it. John quickly found a song he wanted to do and proceeded to write it down on the song request slip. I had a bit of a hard time making a decision on the song choice, but when I decided I filled out my own song request slip. He took both slips of paper up to the DJ and dropped them in the little bucket on the table, with the rest of the song requests.

I took a sip of my drink when John came back to the table. He didn't sit down though, choosing to lean down instead and ask me what kind of shot I'd like. I was suddenly aware of just how _close_ he was to me. _Oh Jesus! His face is almost pressed up against mine. I can feel his breath on my neck! …No! Stop it right now, Kaitlyn! It's nothing like that and you know it! …Or is it?_

I realized I hadn't answered him, so I quickly blinked my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "How about a Washington Apple?" I answered him. He smiled and turned to walk to the bar to get our round of shots. I pulled my phone out of my purse and saw it was almost midnight! _Oh no! I haven't called Alex yet! He's probably wondering what's going on since I didn't speak with him yet._ I took advantage of the break in the karaoke and the quiet that had settled in the room from people who went outside for a smoke to call Alex. After a few rings, he answered.

"Hello?" I was relieved to hear that he sounded like he hadn't been sleeping. Not that it wouldn't be unusual for him to be up at this hour anyway.

"Hey, it's me! I'm so sorry I'm just now calling. It's been a crazy day and let me just say it hasn't ended yet!" There was so much I wanted to tell him, but I knew I couldn't do that now. It would have to wait until tomorrow!

"Is that so?" he said, a note of sarcasm in his voice. "Then I guess I'll let you go so you can continue doing…whatever it is you're doing." Then the inflection of his voice changed. "You can call me tomorrow night sometime and tell me all about it, okay?"

"Of course! Just let me know what time will work best for you! I work in the morning, but I should be off by three in the afternoon."

"Okay, I should be home and out of class by then."

"Sounds like a plan! I'll let you go so you can get some sleep! Good night Alex."

"Night, Kait," he said, the tone of his voice sounding as though he was smiling as he bade me good-night.

I ended the call and placed my phone back in my purse just as John returned to the table with our order of shots. He handed my mine and as he was about to sit down at the table, the DJ called him to the stage. He laughed and said "Cheers!" as he lightly clinked his shot glass with mine. We took the shot and he headed to the stage.

John grabbed the microphone, and being the charismatic person he is, he asked the crowd, "How is everyone doing tonight?" After he received a boisterous response from the karaoke patrons, he smirked before he said "All right! Well, let's keep the party going!" A few seconds later, the song started and I laughed, because I recognized it: a Johnny Cash song. As John sang the song, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that he had a nice, deep singing voice. When the song ended, I smiled and clapped along with everyone else, and gave him a personal standing ovation when he got back to the table.

"Good job John! That definitely surprised me, in a good way!" I said to him, which caused him to chuckle.

"Why, thank you miss!" He said, as that heart-melting smile spread across his face.

We settled in as the next person took the stage, when I was suddenly overcome with nerves. "John", I began to say, "I don't think I can do this. I'm not used to being the center of attention," I admitted to him.

He touched my shoulder to reassure me. "Kait, it will be okay," he said calmly. "Just don't focus on everyone else watching. Keep your eyes on me if you get nervous." He was still smiling.

I sighed. "John, I'm not a good signer. I don't want to be responsible for making people wish they were deaf," I said, feeling the expression on my face fall.

John tried to hide the chuckle that came from his throat when I looked at him. He turned serious and looked at me. "Kait, no one that does karaoke is that good of a singer. It's all for fun! You need to loosen up and let go a little bit!"

_Fun,_ I thought. _What's "fun"? Thinking about the last few years of my life, I haven't had the opportunity to _have_ fun._

John broke up my thoughts as he got up from the table and went to the bar. A few minutes later, he came back with another round of shots. He handed me a shot glass and said, "Here, drink this. A shot of Jack is good for the soul." I hesitated as I took the glass from him, clinked my shot glass to his and slowly brought the drink to my lips. "You have to take it fast, otherwise the whiskey will burn like no other," he warned before he put the drink to his mouth and swallowed the shot of whiskey all at once.

I took a deep breath and followed his lead. I swallowed the shot of Jack quickly, all at once, but since I had never had whiskey before, I wasn't prepared for the tingly, burning sensation it caused in my throat. I immediately started to cough for dear life. "Holy—shit—that's strong!" I said to him between coughs. He asked me if I was okay when I stopped coughing. I told him I was okay, and we started to laugh.

Just then, the DJ started to talk into the microphone. "Alright everyone, it's been brought to my attention that we have a 'karaoke first timer' in the house tonight. She's very nervous, so let's give a big Hang-Out welcome to Ms. Kaitlyn!"

I instantly flushed red with embarrassment, not wanting to get out of my seat. John stood up and took my hands, then proceeded to pull me out of the chair. "You're going to kick ass, Kait! Remember what I said! Now go!"

Everyone in the room cheered and clapped as I slowly made my way to the stage. I climbed the steps and got on stage. The DJ asked "What song would you like to sing?" as he handed me the microphone. _I thought I had already picked out a song, _I thought to myself. _I guess it got misplaced. _

My reply was filled with hesitation and nerves. "Umm….how about…" I had tons of songs running through my head. _I could sing a rock song, but that's been done a lot tonight. Country? I think I could do that, but what song? I don't want a song with a lot of notes out of my…limited…range. OH! Gretchen Wilson has a few songs that aren't particularly difficult to sing. What of hers could I sing? Oh yeah! I got it! _I'm sure it seemed like forever to the DJ, but it only took a few moments. I walked over to him and told him, "Gretchen Wilson's 'Redneck Woman.'"

The music started, and soon after the lyrics started as well. I sang timidly at first, but as soon as I got through the first few lines, I started to get into it. The crowd got behind me once I started to let loose and have fun. During a break in the song, I briefly looked at John and he had the biggest smile plastered on his face, while he clapped along with everyone else in the room.

Before I knew it, the song ended and I was given a standing ovation. People cheered, clapped and whistled. I don't know if I was good or if I made people wish they were deaf, but at the moment I didn't care, because the applause and cheers made me feel a hell of a lot better.

When I got back to the table, John, who was slightly tipsy after having downed a few beers and two shots of liquor, pulled me into this massive hug. "You were great! How do you feel?" he asked. His mouth was right by ear, so I started to feel shivers go up my spine. As much as I didn't want to think it, I loved the way I felt at this moment, with his arms around me. But I pushed those thoughts aside and laughed. "I feel…liberated, if that makes sense. I wouldn't have been able to do something like that a few years ago", I said to him as we broke the hug and sat down at the table.

I picked up my drink and took a sip, and realized that soon I'd need to cut myself off or otherwise I'd be intoxicated…and that wouldn't be good. I took my phone out of my purse, to take a quick look at the time. _Whoa, it's almost one in the morning!_ I guess John saw what I was doing, because he chuckled as he put his beer on the table.

"What, are you getting tired of my company already?" he asked me with a smile.

I shook my head in response. "Of course not! I was just curious what time it is. I'm in no hurry to get home." I stood up from the table to go freshen up. "I'll be right back," I said to John before I turned and made my way to the restroom.

On my way back to the table a few minutes later, I stopped at the bar and waited for the bartender to come over to me. When the bartender came over to stand opposite me behind the bar, I looked at him. "I was just wondering if you offered coffee by request?" I asked him.

He smiled at me and said that they did, only by request. I asked him if he could brew a pot of coffee. He assured me he would, and with a smile on his face, he winked at me. I felt myself blush, thanked him and walked back to the table. As I got to the table, I was taken off guard by the look John had on his face. It was the look of him being slightly jealous. For some unknown reason, it thrilled me that he was jealous, although I couldn't figure out why he would be jealous of the bartender flirting with me. I brushed it off as nothing, chalking it up to the alcohol that I consumed messing with my mind.

The night wore on, and John and I had lots of fun. Jokes, stories and laughs were shared between us. I had never felt so at ease with any guy before. I felt like I didn't have to force myself, feeling like I _had_ to have a good time with John, which was so different than past guys I had gone out with. Everything seemed natural for me, the laughter, the smiles, the conversation. It made me feel good on the inside.

About a half hour after I asked for the coffee to be made, the bartender brought over a cup of coffee for me, with some cream and sugar. I asked for a cup for John. A few minutes later, he came back with another cup and placed it in front of John. I took my wallet out of my purse and retrieved a five dollar bill to give to the bartender. He smiled at me and gently pushed my arm away. "It's on the house," he said to me with a smile, before he walked back to the bar.

Suddenly, John said, "I don't like the way that guy is looking at you, Kait," almost as though he didn't think his comment through all the way before vocalizing his reaction.

I giggled and looked at John. "It's fine John. I'm flattered he would flirt with me, but I'm not interested in dating right now." For some unknown reason, this seemed to please him and a smirk slowly made its way across his face.

I finished my coffee, but just to be safe, I asked a passing server for a glass of water. Once my glass of water was brought to me, I drank it quickly. I was really thirsty now that I was more sober. John had a few cups of coffee, and with the delivery of my water came another cup for him, which caused me to laugh. "You are going to be up all night if you keep drinking coffee, John," I said to him. He didn't seem to mind though and I could see his eyes become clearer, a sign he was sobering up too.

Finally the music stopped and the head bartender yelled "Last call!" I asked for a cup of water to go. Once the waitress brought the to-go cup to me, John and I stood up and made our way outside. While we walked to his truck, I was slightly concerned whether he could drive or not. "Are you okay to drive, John?"

He threw his arm across my shoulders and said, "I promise you darlin', I'm good to drive." I nodded my head and giggled, obviously knowing he was still a tad buzzed if he's calling me "darlin'." We got to the truck and he opened the door for me. I climbed inside and he shut the door. A few seconds later, he was in the driver's seat and we were on our way home.

He took a few back roads, and about 10 minutes after we left the bar, he had turned down our road. He stopped at the security gate, entered his security code into the pin pad to open the gate, and passed through when the gate was opened. He turned into his driveway and parked the truck. After he got out, he came over to the passenger side and opened the door. He offered me his hand and helped me out of the truck. I started to walk to the end of his driveway, when he came up beside me and grabbed my arm. He looked at me. "Kait, let me walk you home."

I looked at John, and gasped at the way his cerulean blue eyes shined in the moonlight. There was a moment of silence between us, and as we stood there facing each other, I felt something between John and I. Something I hadn't felt in a long time. But I refused to become _that_ woman. _What ever is going on between him and Liz is none of my business. They'll either work it out or go their own separate ways, but I will not be a home wrecker._

I giggled and looked up into his eyes. "John, I'll be all right. I'm only a few houses down. I'll text you as soon as I get inside my guest house, okay?" He agreed, reluctantly. I got my keys out of my purse before I turned to him, and said, "I had a really great time with you today. For lunch, for dinner, for all the fun at karaoke. For all the fun I've had today in general, thank you so very much, John." I stick my hand out for him to shake, but instead, he took me into his muscular arms and embraced me in a hug that literally swept me off my feet.

While he hugged me, he whispered in my ear, "The pleasure was all mine. I had a very good time today as well." He started to pull away, slowly breaking our embrace. I blinked a few times, as the feel of his arms around me, mixed with the smell of his cologne and the feel of his breath in my ear clouded my mind.

Finally, I realized where I was, so I returned the smile that he had on his face. "I'll see you soon John," I said to him as I started to walk away. I walked slowly at first, and I turned my head to see if he was still standing there. When I saw that he was already inside his house, I started to run home. When I got to my door, I unlocked it and quickly entered my guest house. I closed the door and turned on the light, before I walked over to the alarm system and set it.

I walked in to my bedroom, turning on the lights as I made my way inside. I quickly changed out of my clothes, and threw on an old t-shirt and some shorts. I walked into the bathroom, to brush my teeth and my hair. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail, then proceeded to wash my face. I turned the lights out in my bathroom, and walk out to the entry way to turn the lights off there. I grabbed my purse and took out my phone, as I made my way back to my bedroom. I turned on my fan before I got into bed. I sat there and started to type out my text message to John, still finding it surreal that I have his number in my phone.

_No need to worry John, I'm home. I was getting ready for bed, that's what took so long. Thanks again for the good day!_

About a minute later, his reply message came in.

_Thank you as well. I had a lot of fun. We'll talk real soon. Goodnight and sweet dreams, Kait._

I typed out a quick reply.

_Goodnight John._

I plugged in my phone and turned off my lamp. As I laid in bed, I had no doubt that I would have sweet dreams, just like John said to me.

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><p><strong>Aww...cute little moment there huh? Don't worry...I'm not going to have Kait become some homewrecker. I have no respect for people like that, so I wouldn't make my OC one.<strong>

**As always, reviews are always welcome! And if you love the story, feel free to share or recommend it to your friends on here! I love all my readers, and would love to have new people reading it all the time!**

**Chapter 7 will be up soon! *Sneak peek: What happens when Kait finally meets Liz?***

**Take care everyone! If you live in the US, along the East Coast, my prayers are with y'all right now! Please be safe while Hurricane Irene passes through. Living in Florida, I know hurricanes are nothing to mess with, even as a Category 1. And please stay off the beaches and out of the water! Thoughts are with you right now.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Oh my goodness y'all! I cannot begin to describe how bad I feel for taking so long to update this story! It's been a whirlwind of a year. I went back to school for the first time in five years...and now I'm waiting to see if I got accepted into the veterinary technician program at my school! Please keep your fingers crossed for me! :)**

**Hopefully this chapter will have been well worth the wait. Thank you to all who are still around and reading this! **

**Also, I know that John's been in the news lately because of him filing for divorce. My thoughts are with him during this horrible time in his life. Hopefully it won't get all messy and nasty. I hope everyone can respect his privacy during this time.**

**Author's Note: I own nothing but Kait and the plot. John own's himself and Vince owns all things WWE related!**

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><p>I woke up the next morning around nine o' clock, after what was arguably the best night of sleep I had gotten in a while. I grabbed my phone off my night stand, and checked it for any messages. I found that I didn't have any, so I started to get ready for work, which started in an hour. I didn't tell John I had to work in the morning, because he was enjoying himself last night and I was too, so I didn't want that to end. I knew I would make it through the day though, I only worked five hours, plus I had worked longer shifts on less sleep.<p>

I showered and got myself dressed for work. I didn't live too far from my workplace, which was nice. I didn't have to spend a lot of time getting ready. I grabbed my phone and my purse before I left my guest house, as I turned the lock on the door knob. As I walked to my car, I dug my keys out of my bag. Frank was usually home all day on Thursdays, so I didn't really have to lock the deadbolt on the door.

It was around four-thirty in the afternoon by the time I got home from work. I walked into the guest house and changed out of my work clothes, into a comfortable pair of pajama pants and a T-shirt. I walked into the kitchen and opened my refrigerator, as I tried to decide what to make myself for dinner. I hadn't eaten since breakfast, so I was very hungry. I heard my phone go off in my bedroom, so I rushed to get it. I picked up my phone and saw that I had a message from John.

_John: Hey Kait, I wanted to call you earlier to see how you were doing, but I was awakened this morning by a phone call from Vince asking me if I could make it to Stanford today. So I've been traveling all day, but I just landed and wanted to see how your day is going. Would you mind checking on Duke and Daisy later? They seemed kind of sad that I had to leave them earlier than expected._

I smiled as I read the message from him, before I typed out a reply.

_Me: Hey John, of course I wouldn't mind stopping over and seeing how Duke and Daisy are. I'll tell them you're sorry you had to leave! My day has been pretty good. Went to work for a bit, just got home a little while ago. I'm glad you landed in Connecticut safely! _

I pressed the send key as I turned around and walked into the kitchen, so I could start cooking my dinner. I decided to make a salad and Hamburger Helper, which would give me plenty of leftovers for the next few days. As I sliced the vegetables for my salad, I thought of what I needed to get done tonight. _Obviously I need to catch Alex up on everything. I wonder what he's going to think. Before then I'll probably go over to John's and check on those two wonderful puppies though._ My phone went off again and broke my train of thought. I rinsed off my hands and dried them before grabbing my phone. It was a reply from John, which made me smile. _He's apparently got some business to tend to, yet he wants to talk to me, of all people. I wish I knew what his thoughts were…_

_John: You're awesome Kait! I didn't know you had to work today! I'm sorry we stayed out so late last night. How'd you sleep last night?_

_He's asking me how I slept last night?_ I thought to myself as I started to enter my reply.

_Me: I slept fine last night John and I got enough sleep too. I've worked longer shifts on less sleep. No worries okay? I don't regret staying out so late and you shouldn't either. _

John and I exchanged a few more text messages before he went in to his meeting, while I finished preparing my dinner. He told me where he hid a spare key for me, and I told him I would see him sometime next week. After we said 'talk to you later' to each other, I put some dressing on my salad and put some of the Hamburger Helper on a plate and walked into the living room. I put my plate and bowl down before returning to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. I made my way back into the living room and turned on the television so I could watch the news while I ate.

After I finished dinner and cleaned up the dishes, I grabbed my keys and walked over to John's house. A few minutes later, I made my way up the driveway to the front door. After I retrieved the spare key, I went to the door and unlocked it. My noise at the door caused Duke and Daisy to rush over, and as I opened the door, they were obviously very happy to see me. I walked inside and closed the door before I turned my full attention to Duke and Daisy. As I bent down, Daisy jumped up off the ground, practically into my arms. I held her and walked into the kitchen, Duke right by my side. I put Daisy down and checked their food and water bowls and refilled them as needed, before I made my way to the living room to spend some time with them before I had to leave. I played with them and laughed as I watched them play with each other. I stayed with them for over an hour before I went back home.

I showered and got ready for bed, then went to the living room and turned on my laptop, so I could check my email and my social networking sites. I needed to pass the time before I called Alex, so I could fill him in on my activities the previous day. When I signed onto my instant messaging program, I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was already online and messaged him right away.

_Me: OMG…Hi! Thank God you're online! How are you? Are you able to talk?_

_Alex: Well hi! I'm doing alright, although my curiosity is starting to get the better of me. So what happened?_

_Me: Okay, so Tuesday I went for a walk around and I came to the community bulletin board. I saw an ad for a pet sitter, so I entered the phone number into my phone and went home. Once I got home, I called the number and left a message on the machine. I didn't hear back from the owner for the rest of the day, so I figured the position had already been filled._

_Alex: Okay. What happened next?_

_Me: So the next morning, I woke up and went for a swim. Just as I started to dry myself off after I got out of the pool, my phone rang. I ran to answer it and saw that it was the pet owner's number. I answered the phone and the pet owner, a male voice, told me that I was the first person to respond, so he basically wanted to see if I was still interested. When I told him I was, he invited me to join him for lunch while he interviewed me. I agreed and he told me he'd pick me up, since we lived in the same community. I told him my address and asked that he give me thirty minutes to get ready._

_Alex: Okay._

_Me: So I got ready and headed out toward the front of the property. That's when I saw an unfamiliar vehicle in the driveway. As I made my way closer, I noticed it was a red Jeep._

_Alex: …And?_

_Me: When I got close enough to the Jeep, I nearly stopped dead in my tracks when I noticed the driver. Oh my gosh, Alex, you are seriously NOT going to believe this. I'm still having a small issue believing it too._

_Alex: The suspense is killing me Kait! Who was the driver?_

_Me: *long pause* It was John._

_Alex: John? Well that's specific. John who? …Oh, wait…you mean John?_

_Me: Yes, I mean John Cena! Alex, you have NO idea how amazing he is. Lunch was great and I got the job. He's got two dogs: Duke, a big, beautiful German Shepard and Daisy, a sweet, loveable Yorkshire Terrior._

_Alex: How cute? Also, I'm not surprised in the choices of dogs._

_Me: I know, they're so awesome! I'll have to send you picture when I can! Anyways…so after we reach an agreement, I went to leave. I got his number! John walked me to the door and as I walked outside, he asked me if I had plans later. After I told him no, he invited me over for dinner! I calmly agreed, waiting to freak out when I got home. So, I napped because I was overwhelmingly tired and needed to rest. Woke up a few hours later, found a text from John asking if I'd go with him to karaoke as well. I replied yes and started getting ready. _

_Alex: And how was the night? Did you __**kiss**__ him?_

_Me: ALEX! Of course not, I know he's engaged. But the night was amazing Alex! I got to his house and after rang the doorbell a few times; I got a text from him telling me to just come in. I walked in and the inside of the house smelled amazing! He cooked homemade chicken fettuccine alfredo, garlic bread and a salad. While he cooked, we drank some wine and just talked. Well, I did most of the talking. John seemed very interested in getting to know me; he asked a lot of questions. Dinner was ready and it was so delicious. I never knew he had time to become such a good cook! After dinner, I helped him clean up and then we took the dogs for a walk. It was so great, seeing John playing fetch with Duke. Daisy didn't leave my lap the whole time._

_Alex: Well, he __**is**__ a human being. It shouldn't shock you that he likes playing with his dogs._

_Me: …. I don't need a psychology lesson Alex, lol._

_Alex: But you got one anyway! =D_

_Me: Anyways…we got back to John's house. He quickly cleaned up and we left for karaoke. John did karaoke, of course and after a beer and two shots, I got up on-stage and did karaoke too! It was so liberating Alex; I can't even begin to describe how I felt afterwards! I got a hug from John. As the night came to a close, I got coffee for us from the bartender, who started flirting with me. For God knows what reason, John seemed jealous of this. I just chalked it up to the drinks he'd consumed. When we got back to John's house, I went to head home. He wanted to walk me home, but I insisted that it wasn't necessary. I'm not going to lie: we did share a moment where something could have happened; however, I refuse to be that woman that ruins someone's relationship. Plus we were both slightly intoxicated, so I wouldn't have __**let**__ something happen while I was like that._

_Alex: Hmm. Very interesting indeed… Well, this sudden secret of yours is safe with me Kait. _

I felt more at ease with the situation now that someone I trusted knew. Alex had been by my side through everything and when he gave me his word, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wouldn't break it. We continued to talk and catch up for few hours before we both decided it was time to go to sleep. I went to bed with a smile on my face for the second night in a row.

Over the next few weeks, I started to become more accustomed to my new routine of taking Duke and Daisy for walks, making sure they had fresh food and water and playing with them. I fell in love with both of them almost instantly, so when I got to see them every morning and every night, it always brought me happiness and joy. John wasn't around much anymore, but text messages were exchanged frequently and on occasion we would talk on the phone. He returned from his injury at Survivor Series in his hometown of Boston, and defeated Chris Jericho to become the new World Heavyweight Champion! I watched the pay-per-view with some friends and when John won his match, I was ecstatic for him on the inside. I quickly sent him a text message that said "Congrats, Champ!" to which he replied back a little while later to thank me. None of my friends knew about my new friendship with John, except for Alex. I wanted to keep it that way as long as I could too, out of respect for John's privacy, as well as my own.

Whenever John was home, he always seemed so happy to see me. While we hadn't had any other nights like that first night with dinner and karaoke, we still managed to catch up often, usually through text messages and calls. We'd also started to get together on Thursday evenings and walk Duke and Daisy, before he left for the weekend. The more I was around him, I felt myself become more comfortable, as well as I noticed my guard started to go down whenever I was in his presence. He seemed to become more comfortable around me as well.

One day, John noticed that I walked with a slight limp, when my right knee was bothering me. When he asked me about it, I told him all about the knee injury I sustained back in my senior year of high school. I also told him how it was misdiagnosed at the hospital, so it didn't get the proper treatment. When I told John that I opted not to have corrective surgery two years later when I got a proper diagnosis from an orthopedic surgeon I saw about the pain, he offered to take me to his gym with him one day, so he could show me some exercises that would help strengthen my knee.

After a few work out sessions, he helped me get a really good deal on a gym membership. I got into the habit of going to the gym every day. Gradually over time, I noticed my right knee hurt less and less. I also noticed my legs got stronger and I was losing weight and becoming more toned. I started to feel really good about myself. Plus John was a great work out buddy when he was home. He motivated me and helped me with tricks and tips, introduced me to some new things in the gym as well. As I'd watch him work out sometimes, I was always in awe of his sheer strength and power.

* * *

><p>I will never forget the day I finally met Liz. I had found it a tad bit peculiar that I had been around John's house to help care for Duke and Daisy for about a month now, and in all that time I hadn't met her yet. After all, I was there twice a day, five days a week; surely, at some point, I should have met her. But it wasn't my place to question, so I kept my thoughts to myself.<p>

It was a Tuesday morning, around nine o'clock, when I made my way inside the house. As usual, Duke and Daisy were by the door when I opened it, like they expected my arrival, and they were happy to see me. I spent several minutes petting them, before I made my way to the kitchen. I inspected Duke and Daisy's food and water bowls, to find they were empty of food. I picked up all 4 bowls and went to the sink. I washed out the water bowls and filled them up with fresh water, before I placed them back in their assigned spots. I returned to the sink and washed out their food bowls, and then I dried them completely and walked into the pantry to fill up the bowls with food.

After I placed their bowls down, I walked out to the pool area, Duke and Daisy right behind me. I grabbed the tennis ball I had hidden out there, because I liked to play fetch with Duke for a little while every morning. Daisy was content just being in my lap. We made our way outside into the backyard, and I threw the ball, which caused Duke to take off after it. I sat down in the grass and Daisy immediately crawled into my lap. Duke would bring the ball back and I'd throw it again. Daisy got all my attention while Duke was off somewhere in search of the ball. We played like this for an hour, before I stood up and stretched. I needed to get home and get ready for work.

We made our way inside the pool area and locked the door, before I turned and placed the ball back in the spot I hid it in. We walked into the house, and I started to tell Duke and Daisy good-bye as I grabbed my keys and walked to the front door. "I'll be back later on tonight guys," I said to them, as I squatted down to pet and kiss their heads. _These dogs love me just as much as I love them_, I thought and I stood up.

Just then, the front door opened and in walked Liz, John right behind her. I knew it was her from pictures of her I had seen online, with her pointed chin, blonde hair and petite frame. When she saw me, she glared at me. "Who the hell are you? And what are you doing in _my_ house?" she screamed. _I'm pretty sure this is John's house Liz, not yours,_ I thought as I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. Before I could answer her, John saw me and smiled, and he walked over to stand between us.

"Liz, this is Kait, the young woman I told you I hired to take care of these guys." He said as he bent down to pet Duke and pick up Daisy. He turned to me and said "Kait, this is my fiancée, Liz."

Though I didn't like the curt way she greeted me, I decided it was best to shake it off. _After all, I am a stranger to her, _I thought. I stuck my hand out to her and said, smiling, "It's nice to finally meet you, Liz".

She glared at my hand for a moment before she said "It's Elizabeth to you, Kait." I slowly pulled my hand back and locked my eyes with hers. _So that's how she's going to be._

"Please, it's Kaitlyn," I said to her in an equally snobby-yet-sweet tone, which caused John to smirk. She scoffed and started to walk away, before she stopped and turned around.

She looked directly at John. "So, how often is she here?" as she crossed her arms.

John's answer to her was short, which hinted to his irritation with her. "She's here Monday through Friday in the mornings and in the evenings." Liz proceeded to roll her eyes, as she turned and headed down the hallway to the bedroom, where she slammed the door once she was inside.

He walked the few steps toward me and put his arm around me. We turned to leave, and as we walked outside, he said to me "I'm sorry for the way she's acting, Kait. I'll talk to her. She's acting immaturely and childish toward you, when you've done nothing wrong."

I looked at him and laughed. "It's okay, John. I can show her up in attitude any day. I'm from Detroit, remember?"

He smiled and hugged me. "I'll let you know if she's going to be around at any time from now on, okay? You don't need someone giving you an attitude like that when you clearly don't deserve it."

I thanked him as we broke the hug and I started to walk home. We walked to the end of his driveway and he stopped me. "So I'll see you Thursday for our walk?" he asked.

I hugged him again quickly and said "I wouldn't miss it for the world John." When I pulled away, I smiled at him and started to walk home.

From that day on, I avoided Liz as much as I possibly could. The few times we did bump into each other was not pleasant for me. It was like she went out of her way to be rude to me and give me an attitude. I couldn't figure out why she acted that way toward me, so it really pissed me off when she'd say something extremely snobby or bitchy to me. If she deserved it, I would give her some attitude right back, but usually I let it slide off my back.

No matter what though, I always tried my hardest to be nice to her and to try to get to know her. I just wanted things to be civil between us, because she was engaged to John, and I hoped I would be around to help out with Duke and Daisy for a while.

I did set a certain boundary with Liz though, and if she stepped over it, I would make sure John heard about it. I would always know when John had said something to her, because she wouldn't make any snide comments to me if she saw me, or I wouldn't see her at all. Somehow, I always knew I'd get the last laugh when it came to Liz, in some way.

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><p><strong>Once again, I hope this chapter made up for the extremely long hiatus! Please, if you take the time to read, please review it as well! And if you're absolutely loving this story, feel free to share it with your friends and other readers on here! I'll update this as soon as I can!<strong>

**Up next: Kait goes home to spent Christmas with her family...then she is reunited with John at the airport when she returns! Did John get her anything for Christmas?**


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